


Proud

by Azrayah



Series: Neo Vongola Secondo [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M, M/M, mah generation continues so deal with it, please read Let Down first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-02-26 14:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2655944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azrayah/pseuds/Azrayah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Let Down: Tsuna watched his son grow up, and as he did, he couldn't help but feel proud. Even if he wasn't boss. Even if he were different. Warning: Shounenai (boyXboy), OCs, 2795 (TsunaXKyoko)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tsuna's View and the Marriage

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This is a sequel to Let Down. It is recommended that you read that first, but if you choose not to, that's fine. The story will still make sense, but maybe not as much.
> 
> Also, there is shounen-ai (light boyXboy) so if that isn't your thing, turn back. Do not complain about it in the reviews, you have been warned.

As soon as Kyoko told him that he was going to be a father, Tsuna knew he would love and accept their child. He wouldn't be like his father, who abandoned him and his mother when he was a kid. His child would always have his support and love for the important moments in his life, and Tsuna would not force him into the title of mafia don if he did not want want it.

 

But when his six year old Ienari told him, while in his arms, that he wanted to be the next don, Tsuna couldn't really explain the feeling that overwhelmed him. He was proud of his son, yet he was sad as well. Ienari was following in his foot steps, but he was going to be involved in the mafia. _Well, he's going to be involved because of me anyway_. He thought bitterly. It really shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Tsuna was just hoping that his son could have had a normal, blood free life.

 

He really couldn't believe that sixteen year old Reborn wanted to start teaching him at six.

 

* * *

 

 

Tsuna smiled as he watched his wife and son in the garden, having lunch like they always do once Ienari finished his morning training. It warmed his heart to know that he had this wonderful family to call his—he just wished he could convince some of his guardians to enjoy life. He understood their reasons, after all, this is the mafia, but they still needed to _live._

 

He could still remember when he first asked Kyoko to be his girlfriend. Even after seven years of being in a relationship, from dating to marriage, Kyoko was still the same. She and Haru would still do 'Kyoko and Haru appreciation day' once a month. Kyoko would invite the Vongola girls for hang-out nights in one of the guest rooms like a sleep over. Tsuna tried to give her the most normal life possible, but he knew that her life would never be _normal._

 

Still, he tried. So he stepped away from the large, bullet proof glass of his office and headed towards the garden, the small smile never once leaving his face.

 

* * *

 

 

That night, Tsuna couldn't fall asleep. His hyper intuition was screaming at him, keeping him awake. He's never felt it this strong before, and it scared him. Even in a life or death situation, it was never this _loud._ It screamed for him to get up, walk around, listen, look. Being on guard, Tsuna stood up from the bed, startling Kyoko slightly. After moving into the mansion, she became a light sleeper, so it didn't really surprise him.

 

What did surprise, however, was when his son screamed, “Let. Me. GO!”

 

That was all Tsuna needed before he bolted out of the room and into his son's room. He didn't even remember slipping his gloves on or opening the door. Rage was the only thing that registered in his mind. He was angry at whoever dare lay a hand on his boy.

 

When he saw what was happening though, shock was the next thing he felt. His son's captor was wrapped up in vines with fire blazing around him, lifted slightly off of the ground. Ienari ran towards him, but after seeing his father's face, he looked at the man as well.

 

Tsuna shook off the shock, thinking either Kyoko or Mukuro had created the illusion. He had a nagging feeling that something was off about the illusion, but gave it no thought as he flew towards the man and punched him in the face. Smirking as he heard the snap of the man's nose, he threw the man out the window, glass shattering everywhere.

 

Kyoko then came into the room, followed by Reborn and Hayato, but Tsuna paid them no heed at the moment. He still had some anger to vent on the man who was sprawled on the ground. He picked him up by the collar and threw him to the ground, leaving a hole, before striking his neck. After he heard the snap, he flew back up to the room to see his wife and child, along with Hayato and Reborn. He looked at the hitman and gestured to the window with his head. Reborn nodded, understanding what he meant, before leaving the room to take care of it.

 

Tsuna looked back at his family before walking over to them and hugging the two, a look of relief on his face as he slipped out of HDWM. Hayato took a step back, giving the family their space but keeping a look out as well for anymore signs of trouble.

 

“You two okay?” He asked the two. Kyoko nodded and the three separated slightly, Tsuna keeping a hand on each of their shoulders. He turned to Ienari. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yep!” the boy chirped before looking at his mother, who was holding his hand. “Mama, that was a pretty awesome illusion you put on the guy! How'd you know where he was?”

 

Kyoko shook her head. “I didn't put up that illusion. I figured Mukuro-kun was hiding somewhere and put it up.” She ruffled his hair.

 

This time Hayato shook his head. “Mukuro isn't in Italy. He and Chrome are back in Japan on a mission.” he looked over at his boss, who had a contemplative look on his face. “Who could have put that illusion up?”

 

Suddenly, the illusion cut out, and Ienari started to sway back and forth from fatigue. He fell towards his father, who caught him with ease. Tsuna finally put two and two together and gasped slightly. He couldn't believe the truth.

 

“Ienari did.”

 

* * *

 

 

Tsuna sighed, putting his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his desk. Reborn had cleaned up the assassin and gave a report on what he found out about the man. Apparently, the emblem on his jacket pocket was one that neither recognized, so they assumed it was a new, bloodthirsty famiglia that didn't know its place. It really worried Tsuna that they knew about Ienari, since only the higher ups (plus a few maids and butlers) in Vongola, Simon and Dino, plus Dino's most trusted men, knew about him. Was there a traitor? Could there be a spy? Too many things were running through his head, so he decided to push them to the side for a few minutes while he went to check on Ienari.

 

 _Oh Ienari_. Tsuna thought sadly. _You're dreams are crushed._ Tsuna just couldn't believe that his little boy couldn't be the next don. It was required that you had strong sky flames, and obviously he didn't, so there was no way he could be boss. The rings would most likely reject him. Yes he had Vongola blood, but he didn't have sky flames, so the ring would reject him.

 

The mafia boss opened his son's door, expecting him to still be asleep, but was surprised when he saw the boy sitting up in his bed, tears brimming in his eyes. Tsuna rushed over to him, embracing him in a semi-tight, comforting hug, rocking Ienari back and forth as he whispered soothing words in his ears. Ienari gripped his shirt tight, sobbing into his father's shoulder. Tsuna tried to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. He could only imagine what Ienari was feeling. Tsuna knew this wasn't anyone's fault, it just happened, but he knew that Ienari would be broken from this day forward.

 

After all, Ienari couldn't do the one thing he wanted to do most.

 

* * *

 

 

The up-roar when Ienari was reveled—and not fit to be boss, no less—was just pure chaos. Families near and far argued about the fate of Vongola, and frankly, Tsuna had enough. They really had no say in what happens to Vongola, but it was pressure and no matter how much he will deny it, Tsuna is not good with pressure. It really didn't help when Reborn and others started bugging him about the fate of Vongola as well. So when his father reveled he had a brother, it was just the thing Tsuna was looking for.

 

That was, until he found out he was a civilian.

 

Tsuna wouldn't have minded as much if he was in the mafia, since he would already know the dangers and be accustomed to them. In fact, that's what Tsuna thought in the first place. But no, he's a civilian—with a child no less. Tsuna really didn't want to bring them into the horror of the mafia, but with all of the pressure, not to mention the fact that he himself would let Primo down if he didn't find an heir, made him just cave in and ask.

 

Somehow, he was able to convince him to letting his daughter, who was thirteen at the time, become the next boss if she passed the test. Really, it was Reborn lying to him, claiming that the girl—Sadako—had won a scholarship to Vongola Academy, but either way, Vongola now had an heir.

 

Tsuna had apologized to the girl several times, but she would wave him off with a smile on her face, every time saying, “It's fine. I really don't mind.” Tsuna was glad that Sadako didn't hate him or anyone else for forcing her into this role.

 

 

A week after Sadako's arrival, Tsuna decided that Ienari should meet her, seeing as she would most likely be his boss in the future. That, and they were family, and family is very important. He also thought it would be nice for Ienari to have a friend other than Dante. Someone who knew what it was like in the mafia and who he could relate to.

 

After he called Ienari into his office, the two of them sat in front of Sadako and started the introductions. Once Sadako introduced herself, it just went downhill from there. Ienari abruptly left the room, ignoring Tsuna's pleas for him to return.

 

Tsuna sighed, not liking how their first meeting had gone. He turned to the girl and smiled apologetically. “I'm sorry about him. He still hasn't accepted the fact that he isn't next in line anymore.”

 

Sadako smiled and waved it off. “It's fine. I'm sure this must be a shock for him. After all, I'm just a stranger who showed up, claiming the title he had worked hard for.” She picked up the tea cup in front of her. “Completely understandable.” she took a sip as Tsuna sat back down.

 

He ran a hand through his hair. “I know. It's just...” Closing his eyes, he composed himself once more. “I wanted you guys to be friends. As guardian and boss, you need a bond of trust, and being friends will get you that. Yeah, blood family is a bond, but that's just it. Blood. There is no foundation for trust unless you become friends.”

 

Sadako nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I get that.” setting down the cup, she looked at Tsuna. “Do you know where he could have ran off to? There are a few things I want to talk to him privately about.”

 

The man thought about it for a bit. “Yeah, he probably went to Dante's house. Ask Alberto about a ride there, he knows the way.” Sadako thanked him and left the room.

 

Tsuna sighed again, leaning against the back of the couch. _I hope they work this out._

 

* * *

 

 

Later that day, Sadako returned to the manor with Ienari and Dante, explaining to Tsuna what had happened at Dante's house. Tsuna was against Dante joining Vongola, almost as much as Ienari was. He was also shocked that Ienari had reveled to Dante that he was in the mafia when they were twelve, but happy that Dante had stood by his son's side. He knew that Dante's support was what probably helped Ienari move forward in his life.

 

After being convinced by Sadako and Dante, Tsuna finally said okay to Dante officially joining Vongola. Ienari had decided to stay out of the argument. After all, he was against it as well. A week later, Dante produced sun flames and became the official Sun Guardian. Ienari was also named the Mist Guardian around this time.

 

Since bringing Dante to the mansion, the three teens became the best of friends. You would hardly ever see one of them alone, unless they were training, of course. Tsuna smiled at this. He was glad that Sadako and Ienari had worked out their differences and became friends. He was also glad that Ienari was starting to be surrounded by people his age. Living a childhood in the mafia made Ienari socially awkward sometimes, but Tsuna was glad that he was gaining friends.

 

When more teens started showing up at the Vongola mansion, Tsuna wondered if they were all brought here by fate.

 

The first to show up, Emma, was Sadako's old friend from America. Tsuna welcomed her with open arms, seeing as she had no place to go after her last living relatives, her parents, were killed in a car accident. Emma became Sadako's Storm Guardian and right-hand after finding out the truth of Sadako's transfer, and the two caught up with one another about what they missed from each other’s lives.

 

The next girl, Leonora, was a girl they had saved from a slave trade in a lesser part of Italy. After stopping the slave trade and freeing the children, they returned them to their parents. Leonora was the only one left, seeing as she was an orphan. They were going to return her to the orphanage, but she was super attached to Sadako and Ienari, the ones who had rescued her from her cell. She, as well, was welcomed with open arms and became Sadako's Cloud Guardian.

 

The last girl to pop up at the mansion was Madoka, a descendant of Magi from the Simon family of Cozart's generation. She came to the Vongola in search of the Simon, hearing stories of their great friendship, even through misunderstandings. After making it to the Vongola manor, she quickly took a liking to Sadako and the other teens and decided to stay. She did make it to the Simon family, but wanted to stay with Vongola, to which Enma was fine with. His son had already found his guardians, and knew that Madoka would be much happier at Vongola. She became Sadako's Lightning Guardians after demonstrating her ability to use both lightning flames and forest flames, but her lightning flames were much more prominent.

 

Around this time, Sasagawa Aiko, who was living with her mother for the past fourteen years, decided to move into the Vongola mansion and get to know the next generation of Vongola. It wasn't a difficult transition, seeing as most in the mansion could speak both Italian and Japanese fluently, and they welcomed her as well, Ryohei and Kyoko especially. To everyone's surprise, Aiko had rain flames, and became Sadako's Rain Guardian.

 

All of the teenagers had bonded, and Tsuna couldn't be happier to know that they were a close nit family that couldn't be broken easily. Sure some were better friends with others, but each one of them trusted one another with their lives, and Tsuna was glad that Ienari and Sadako (who had become like a daughter to him) were surrounded by these wonderful teens.

 

He was a little worried because most of the guardians were girls, though. He wasn't sexist, just honestly worried. Others in the Mafia could think of them as weak and prey on them more. Tsuna hoped that they could handle it.

 

 _If not, the boys will have to save them._ He mused.

 

* * *

 

 

A year had passed, and it was finally time for the inheritance ceremony to take place. Allied mafia families from around the world came to witness the passing of Vongola off to the next generation. Many wondered what would be given to the next generation, seeing as the Vongola Sin was gone and they weren't going to pass the Vongola gear, since Tsuna and his guardians would keep them forever because part of their souls and resolution had been put into them.

 

Luckily, Talbot had saved samples of the same gems that made the Vongola rings and was able to create a new set of Vongola rings called Neo Rings. They looked like the original Vongola rings, but the gem was cut in a circular shape instead of a hexagonal shape. The Sky ring was also just an orange gem instead of a different looking ring, allowing the set to fully match. Tsuna was grateful, because truthfully, he had no clue how the passing of Vongola would have worked otherwise.

 

As Tsuna had passed the box of Neo Rings to Sadako, he couldn't help but glance at the rest of her guardians before his eyes landed on Ienari. The way the teen held himself with such confidence and seriousness, as well as a bit of happiness, made Tsuna wonder just how lucky he was. He had a wonderful son who was able to take pride in what he was doing, even if it wasn't what he dreamed of.

 

And from that exact moment, Tsuna knew for certain that he would always be proud of his son, no matter what.

 

* * *

 

 

After passing the Neo Rings to the next generation, a party was held in celebration. Most families were able to stay for the occasion, but some had to leave in order to return to their homes in different places around the world. Tsuna completely understood and wished them well as they left, before returning to the festivities. He noticed that the Neo Secondo Guardians had split off. Sadako was talking to Ezio, Dino's son and the Chiavarone Unidecimo, about new plans for the future. He knew that Sadako had grown into liking the role of Neo Secondo, and he was happy that she and Ezio were on good terms with one another.

 

The rest of the girls—Emma, Aiko, Leonora, and Madoka—were near the food tables set up near the back of the ball room, chatting with other guests and every once in a while accepting a dance or two. They were also talking among themselves about new ideas for training as well as things to do when they had a day off. He noticed that Leonora was talking more than normal, and was glad that she was starting to come out of her shell. Aiko was also participating more than normal, and she managed to smile for more than a second.

 

Tsuna noticed that Dante and Ienari were missing from the festivities. _Probably taking a break from dancing. A lot of girls were after the two of them._ Tsuna chuckled at the thought. The two were at the age where they would be thinking about love, and Tsuna hoped the two of them could find someone who could accept them for who they are.

 

As he passed by the door to the balcony, his hyper intuition started to go off slightly, letting him know someone was there, but they weren't dangerous. _Probably a couple kissing away from the dance._ He shrugged it off and continued to walk towards his guardians.

 

He didn't know how right he was.

 

* * *

 

 

Tsuna sighed, setting his forehead on the cool wood of the desk, his arms limp by his side. The Fastidio Famiglia had called that morning, claiming that they were going to cause another ruckus if he didn't agree to their demands. It was the seventh one in the past two weeks, and frankly, Tsuna's had enough of their stupid arguments.

 

 _And what the hell did they mean by marriage?! I'm not going to marry off a kid to suit their needs!_ Tsuna though angrily, his head springing up as he heard a knock on the door. “Come in!” he called out, quickly checking himself to make sure he was presentable for whoever was coming in.

 

Reborn walked in, a hand in his pants pocket while the other was holding what looked like a stack of papers. He looked at the brunet and scowled, already knowing why he seemed to be in a bad mood. “Is is that stupid family again?” The hitman walked up to his desk and tossed the papers on the desk. “Here are the reports about that family crest we saw about seven years ago.”

 

Tsuna nodded. “Thanks, I'll look at them later.” Opening a drawer in his desk, he put the papers inside and shut it before turning back at Reborn, who looked like he wasn't going to leave anytime soon. Tsuna sighed and leaned back in the black office chair. “Yeah, it's them again, and this time they're demanding an arranged marriage”

 

Reborn snorted at this, pulling the rim of his fedora down to shadow his face, hiding the smirk on his face. “Really? They must really not know their place in this world.” he pushed the rim back up and looked at Tsuna seriously. “Want me to deal with them?”

 

The mafia don sweat-dropped at the slight excitement in the hitman's voice and sighed, shaking his head. “No. Even if they are annoying as hell, they are still a some-what valuable ally. And I will not shed blood unless needed.”

 

“Funny how that isn't your first reason.” Reborn said, amused. “So you're considering the marriage?” he looked at the brunet, know that this wasn't an easy choice. While yes, Tsuna wasn't going to force any of the kids to marry a person they have never met, he also didn't want a conflict with the Fastidio Famiglia.

 

“I'm not sure.” Tsuna mumbled, but the hitman heard him and sighed in agreement. He too, didn't want to marry off any of the kids. He's really warmed up to them, after a year of getting to train them, and even longer for Ienari. That kid was like his father, with the warm and accepting personality, but he also had a little bit of Reborn in him, and it made him proud to tutor him for ten years. Reborn didn't want to see any of them just married to settle a dispute, but that was mafia life.

 

Suddenly, Tsuna's office phone started to ring, startling the two men. Tsuna looked at the caller I.D. and sighed, picking up the phone and holding it to his ear. “Hello Mr. Vermillion! What can I do for you?” he said with fake cheerfulness, his free hand playing with a random pen on his desk.

 

_“Ah, Neo Primo, I hope I'm not interrupting.”_

 

“No, of course not. Is there something you need?”

 

_“Yes, actually. I was wondering if you had thought about my proposal.”_

 

Tsuna had to hold back a gasp. _He wanted an answer now?! Why is he being so pushy about this?_ Tsuna thought, exasperated by the man on the other end of the line.

 

“Well, I hav—”

 

_“Wonderful! My daughter and I will be over in an hour to discuss the arrangements.”_

 

“But I didn't—”

 

“ Ciao, Neo Primo.” –Click.

 

The brunet stared at the phone in his hand. _Oh, he's good._ He thought bitterly, before looking up at Reborn, who had a blank expression on his face.

 

“You need more training, Dame-Tsuna, to let another boss take control of a conversation.” A gun was pointed at Tsuna, and Tsuna had to hold back the squeal that threatened to leave his throat. This caused the hitman to smirk, before pulling back the gun- which turned back into his trusty companion, Leon.

 

Reborn then looked back at Tsuna seriously. “So who are you going to pick for the arrangement?”

 

Tsuna looked up at him, a frown on his face. “I don't know.”

 

* * *

 

 

On the other side of the mansion, Dante was sleeping soundly in his bed, lying on his back with his arms out stretched to the side, snoring slightly. The black blanket with golden flames was thrown to the side, completely forgotten. The curtains were shut, completely blocking the sunlight from entering the room. He was tired from last night's training, and he was taking advantage of sleeping in late.

 

There was a knock on his door, but the teen didn't stir at the noise. The door opened, revealing a teen with gravity defying orange hair and brown eyes, who was wearing a blue t-shirt and a green jacket, along with fitted black jeans and sneakers. He quietly shut the door, seeing that Dante was still sleeping, before walking over to the side of the bed.

 

Ienari poked Dante's cheek, hoping that it would wake him up, but it failed. He poked him harder, this time saying, “Dante.” as well, but the other teen didn't seem to budge at either action, and it was making Ienari kind of mad. _Come on, I want to go out today._ The orangenette huffed, before he thought of a wonderful idea and smirked.

 

Climbing up onto the bed, Ienari sat on Dante's stomach and started poking his chest. “Dante~. Get up~.” this time, the black haired teen seemed to respond to Ienari's calls and started to shift slightly, but noticed the weight on his stomach.

 

Opening his eyes, Dante saw Ienari sitting on him. He smiled up at him, before grabbing the other teen and pulling him down to lay down next to him, his arms wrapping around Ienari's waist and his chin on top of the others head. “More sleep.” He mumbled, closing his eyes and tightening his grasp on the other teen.

 

Ienari blushed slightly, still not used to being this close to his boyfriend. They had been going out for two weeks now, but they really haven't been able to spend much time together alone. They had their beautiful moments like this, and Ienari was happy to spend those with Dante.

 

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Ienari's hyper intuition told him that someone was coming towards them. He pulled away from Dante's grip and looked up at those hazel eyes that were now looking at him with confusion. “What's wrong?” Dante asked the teen in his grasp.

 

“Someone's coming.” Dante sighed at this before letting the other teen go and sitting up, running a hand through his black hair. Ienari stood up and walked to the side of the bed that Dante was getting up from. The raven haired teen looked down at Ienari, who was smiling at him apologetically. Dante leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the lips, causing the other to blush slightly.

 

“It's fine.” Dante said softly, ruffling Ienari's hair, before heading towards his personal bathroom, grabbing some clothes. Ienari walked over to the loveseat in front of the large T.V. in the room. Just as he sat down, there was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing Reborn.

 

The hitman looked over at the teen on the small couch and raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was here. “Ienari?” he questioned, hoping the teen would explain his presence.

 

Ienari looked over at the man and gave a small wave. “Just came in to wake up Dante.” Reborn nodded and looked around the room, looking for said teen. Once he heard the shower in the bathroom, he knew where the raven was. Looking at the hitman, Ienari asked, “Why are you looking for him? Today is our day off from training, right?”

 

“Yeah, but Tsuna needs to talk to him.” Reborn looked over at the teen and noticed he tensed slightly, before asking why his father needed Dante. “I'll tell you once he's out, I don't feel like repeating myself.”

 

Moments later, the shower cut off, signaling that Dante was almost done. A minute or two later, Dante stepped out in a long sleeved sea-foam green shirt and semi-baggy jeans along with black, zip up tennis shoes. He was using a small towel to dry his hair, draping it around his neck once he was done. Walking over to the loveseat, he sat down next to Ienari, joining their fingers together out of the hitman's view.

 

“Hey Reborn, what's up?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity, but his eyes looked wary. Something about Reborn's demeanor was wrong to him, but he couldn't actually pin point what that was. He noticed that Ienari looked slightly tensed, and that didn't help him at all. His boyfriend had hyper intuition, and when he was tense, that was never a good sign.

 

Reborn looked at the two, noticing how close they were sitting to one another, but paid little attention to it, instead explaining why he needed Dante. “There is another mafia don coming in less than an hour to discuss a marriage arrangement between his daughter and Dante.” Reborn would never forget the identical look of horror on their faces at his statement.

 

Both of their faces lost color, their hold on each others' hand tightened instantly. Ienari's body starting to tremble slightly, looking like he was on the brink of tears. Dante tried to stay calm, but he couldn't when the only thought running through his head was: _I'm getting separated from Ienari._

 

“ Oi, what's wrong with you two?!” he exclaimed, getting worried. Their reactions were way too drastic for the situation. Dante, he could understand. After all, he was being asked to go to a meeting to talk about getting married to a person he had never met before. Ienari, on the other hand, looked more shaken up than Dante, who this whole situation was about. _I'm missing something here._ Now, though, he had to take care of this before bringing Dante to the meeting. “You just need to come to the meeting, you don't have to accept now. Give it some thought for a bit before making a choice.” he hoped this would calm them down, but it had the opposite effect on Ienari.

 

“Think about it? There's nothing to think about! Dante isn't—” a squeeze from Dante's hand made him turn to the other in surprise, instantly shutting up. Dante's head was bowed down, his bangs hiding his eyes from view. Ienari hung his head as well, his free hand clenched in a tight fist.

 

“ I'll go.” the orangenette's head snapped up to look at his boyfriend, disbelief written all over his face. Dante looked up at the other teen, his hazel eyes serious as he looked into Ienari's brown eyes. “But I won’t accept the marriage” he gave a small smile. Relief instantly washed over Ienari, and his shoulders relaxed slightly as did his free hand. He returned the smile and squeezed his hand, which Dante returned.

 

Reborn's gaze shifted from one teen to the other, trying to understand why they had reacted the way they did. There was something he was missing, and he didn't like being out of the loop. He studied both of the teens actions towards one another, trying to figure it out. That's when he caught the warm, loving gaze the two sent each other.

 

Oh. _Oh._

 

Reborn stared at the two of them in awe, wondering how he couldn't see it before. He was 99% sure that his assumption was correct, but he needed conformation from the two before he really jumped to conclusions. Clearing his throat- which got the attention of the other two- he asked, “Um...are you two... together?”

 

Almost immediately, the two blushed, Dante's cheeks dusted with a light pink color while Ienari's were full on red. Hesitantly, the two slowly nodded their heads, their movements in synch.

 

“Were we that obvious?” Ienari asked, looking to the side to avoid Reborn's gaze. Dante put his free hand behind his head and chuckled at the look Reborn was giving the two of them.

 

Reborn smiled, pulling the rim of his fedora down to shadow his face from the other two's point of view. “I'm surprised I didn't notice it till just now, actually. How long have you two been together?” he asked, his voice holding a curious tone.

 

Ienari looked up at Reborn, not expecting this reaction from the older. He was expecting some form of disgust, or at least some rude comment. Instead, he seemed like he supported them, or at least, didn't hate them. Taking the chance, he asked, “You... don't think we're weird or anything...?”

 

The hitman shook his head slightly. “Why would I? If you two love each other, who am I to get in the way?” Both of their eyes widened at this. Dante was feeling the same as Ienari, wondering why the hitman wasn't making a rude comment. This answered that, and the two couldn't be more happy to know that someone supported them.

 

Jumping up towards the man- much to the surprise of the other two- Ienari wrapped his arms around Reborn and smiled. “Thank you!”

 

Ruffling Ienari's hair, Reborn looked back to Dante. “You still have to go to the meeting. The other boss was very adamant that there was a meeting, and I don't think he'll take no for an answer. You two better be prepared to fight for your relationship.” The two nodded.

 

Dante then looked down at his attire and frowned. “I don't think this is suitable to meet another boss.” He looked over at Reborn. “After all, a guardian is representing his family at all times.” he winked before going to his closet to find something more suitable for the meeting. Grabbing some clothes, he went into his bathroom to change. When he stepped out, he was wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, along with black dress pants and shoes. A black and gold striped tie hung from his neck, slightly loose to give breathing room as well as add some style to the outfit.

 

Ienari smiled at him, before noticing he was missing something. “Where's your ring?”

 

Raising his hand to show off his yellow ring, he noticed that it was indeed missing. “Oh crap. Where did I put it?!” he exclaimed, going back into the bathroom to look for it. Ienari sighed at his boyfriend's antics, before going to look for his ring as well, searching his desk and any other place where it could be. Reborn sighed and started playing with Leon, who was resting on his fedora, and sitting on the couch casually.

 

“Wait a minute.” Ienari looked at Dante, who was just walking out of his bathroom looking slightly panicked, and face-palmed. “It's in your shirt, isn't it?” Dante patted his shirt and felt a small bump in his shirt. After grabbing it and pulling it out, he saw that it was indeed his ring on his chain necklace.

 

Dante scratched his cheek. “Uh...oops?” he said weakly, walking over towards the door, slipping the ring off of its chain and onto his finger. Ienari walked up next to him and smacked him on the head. “What was that for?” Dante pouted.

 

Ienari huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “For making me look for your ring when you had it the whole time, idiot.”

 

Dante wrapped his arms around the other's small shoulders and whispered in Ienari's ear, “But I'm your idiot.” the orangenette blushed and pouted, but made no move to get the taller male off of him.

 

Reborn coughed, gaining the attention of the other two once more, and looked at Dante. “Ienari can't come to the meeting, since he isn't involved. We need to go now.” Dante sighed and reluctantly let go of his boyfriend and followed Reborn, who was now heading out of the room. Ienari frowned and was about to object, but after a reassuring smile from Dante, he kept quiet and walked out of the room as well, heading the opposite direction away from the other two.

 

He walked down the corridor, thinking about Dante and the meeting. He fully believed things would turn out fine—Dante would turn the marriage down, his father would agree, the other don would leave, and their relationship would still be a secret and it would be safe. So far, only Reborn knew, and Ienari knew that Reborn—even as sadistic as he was—wouldn't bring it up unless he had permission or with a good reason. “Or at least, I hope so.” he mumbled under his breath.

 

Turning around another corner, he bumped into another person who happened to not be looking. Stepping back a bit, he saw that it was his boss, Sadako. She looked up at him. “Sorry, Ienari-kun. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.”

 

Ienari waved it off and smiled. “It's fine. I wasn't paying attention either.” he saw that Sadako seemed a little more dressed up than normal, with a simple pink sun dress and white jacket, along with white slip on shoes. Her hair, which was usually in pig-tails, was let down, and she also happened to be wearing light make-up. “Why were you heading down here?”

 

“Ah.” Sadako smiled as her cheeks started to flush slightly. “I wanted to ask Dante if he wanted to hang out today.”

 

Ienari tensed at this, clenching his fist at his side out of Sadako's view, and frowned. “He's in a meeting.”

 

“Meeting?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side. “Today's everyone's day off, why's he in a meeting?”

 

Ienari sighed in frustration. Being reminded of the situation wasn't very helpful, and it didn't help that his hyper intuition was starting to bug him. “It's about a marriage proposal with another mafia boss' daughter.”

 

Sadako's eyes widened, surprise and horror etched on her face. “A marriage proposal?!” she exclaimed. Ienari nodded, before walking past her and down the hallway. Turning around, Sadako walked after him and grabbed his arm, turning him around to face her. “What do you mean marriage proposal?! What mafia family?!” She didn't notice how he started to shake slightly in anger.

 

“I don't know!” Ienari shrugged her off, his bangs shadowing his eyes. “All I know is some bitch came here and is trying to take Dante away and he's on his way to turn her down! That's all!” he ran down the hallway away from her, leaving her stunned in her spot.

 

 _What's the matter?_ She wondered. _I've never seen him this angry. Is it the marriage proposal? Why would that...?_ She shrugged it off and ran after him. “Wait!” Running after him, she was shocked when a wall suddenly appeared in front of her, hindering her from chasing him. “Really Ienari, really?” sighing, she walked the other direction.

 

After a few moments, the wall faded away.


	2. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Dante is going to do about the marriage threatening his relationship with Ienari.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you know by now, but there is shounen-ai (boyXboy), so if that isn't your thing, then turn back (I don't know why you would be on the second chapter and not know that, but hey, it could happen.) Either way, you have been warned, so please don't complain about it in the reviews.
> 
> I present to you, the second part of Proud.

Dante walked down the hall, Reborn leading the way to the meeting room. To be honest, Dante was slightly afraid of the whole situation. He had no clue as to why Tsuna had agreed to this, or why the other mafia family wanted an arranged marriage. All he knew was that he was going to turn it down, end of story. He couldn't be taken away from Ienari—it'd kill them both emotionally.

 

Reborn looked down at the teen, noticing how he seemed lost in his own thoughts, and sighed. Now that he knew about their relationship, he felt like such an ass for suggesting that Tsuna should try to convince one of them to go through the meeting—or at least get to know the girl. He hadn't even thought about the possibility that they were together, and now that it was confirmed, he wanted to take it back. Love was one of the few things that Reborn didn't want to mess with because true love was pure, and he hated making things that are pure turn impure. He may seem like a sadistic jerk—and most of the time he really was—but he did actually have his own way of caring for those he loved, and he thought of the two as his own sons. He really didn't want to put them through this.

 

But he had, and so now they had to worry about some girl getting in the way of their relationship. The hitman knew that the other mafia don wouldn't agree to call it off—he was too adamant about it to think otherwise. There had to be another reason for wanting to have an arranged marriage with Vongola, and Reborn was going to try to find it and find a way to solve this whole mess. He felt responsible for it, so he had to fix it.

 

The two were now in front of the meeting room, both of their faces blank as they entered the room. Tsuna was already sitting in a chair, which was next to two other couches. There was a coffee table in the middle of the three, a tea set for five already set. The man looked up and smiled, gesturing for the two of them to sit down. They did, Dante on Tsuna's left with Reborn next to Dante.

 

Tsuna looked over at Dante with an apologetic smile. “Thank you for coming, Dante. I just want to let you know, before Mr. Vermillion comes in, that we aren't pressuring you to get married or anything.” he took in a breath, before sighing. “Just...think about it, okay? Get to know her and see if it's a possible relationship.”

 

Dante frowned. “Tsuna-san, I can't—” ** _BANG_**.

 

The door to the meeting room was thrown open, slamming against the wall and startling the occupants of the room. All three wiped their heads around to look at the new comer. “Hi, hi, Primo-sama! I've brought Mr. Vermillion and his daughter!” Madoka exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands together as she grinned. She looked over their startled faces and frowned, tilting her head to the side, before gasping. “Oh. My. Gosh. I am so sorry! I didn't mean to slam the doors. It's not very lady-like, is it?” Chuckling nervously, she scratched her cheek.

 

Tsuna shook his head at Madoka's childish antics, while Reborn frowned and Dante face-palmed. Now was really not a good time for Madoka to try and “lighten” the mood, as she always tries to do. This was a very serious matter, and they would rather keep their serious mood. It was the only way to rationally talk about this subject, and frankly, Madoka couldn't read this situation very well. Then again, she had no clue why Mr. Vermillion and his daughter were here. She was just told to bring them once they arrived, so it wasn't entirely her fault that she couldn't read the situation.

 

“Either way...” she moved to the side and gestured for the two behind her to walk in, standing in salute as they walked past her. “I'll be leaving now. ” After she quickly shut the door, those in the room could hear footsteps running down the hallway, getting fainter before they disappeared.

 

Awkward silence filled the room, the two standing by the door exchanging looks with those sitting down before Tsuna coughed slightly, gaining everyone's attention. “Well...that was an... interesting entrance.” He smiled at the two standing. “I welcome you, Mr. Vermillion and Miss Vermillion, to the Neo Vongola Manor.” He then gestured to the empty couch. “Please, have a seat.”

 

“Ah, yes. Pleasure to be here, Neo Primo.” Mr. Vermillion said as he and his daughter sat down. The man looked over at Dante, who was currently looking back at him. “Is this the one?” he asked, looking at the man in the chair.

 

Tsuna looked over at him. “Yes, Dante is the one considering the marriage”

 

Said teen looked over at his boss with alarm. “Tsuna-san, I'm not going through with this.” His voice held firm resolve.

 

Mr. Vermillion looked at the teen with a raised eyebrow, mistaking the resolve for arrogance. “Why?” he asked mockingly with a snort. “Is it because you think my daughter isn't good enough for you? You stup—”

 

“Father!” the teen next to him exclaimed, cutting off his words. “There is no reason to act this way! He did nothing wrong!” Her green eyes glared at her father, before turning away and smiling apologetically at Dante. “I'm sorry about my father's behavior. He's usually not like this. He's just been... edgy, I guess.”

 

Dante smiled back at her. “I get it.” He then held out his hand to her. “I'm Dante de Rossa. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Mavis Vermillion. Pleasure.” She smiled again, taking his hand and shaking. Pulling away, she looked at Tsuna. “Is there anyway Dante and I can talk in private? I think we should get to know each other, after all.”

 

Tsuna smiled and nodded. “Sure. Dante, could you take her back to your room?” he asked, looking over at said teen.

 

Dante looked over at him anxiously, his hazel eyes wide as he bit his lip. “I... um...yeah....” he hung his head in defeat. Standing up, he offered a hand to Mavis. “I'll lead the way.”

 

Mavis smiled and took his hand, standing up and following him. “Mavis.” She turned back, her wavy blond hair swaying out of the way as she looked at her father with a questioning glance. “Eh...Never mind.”

 

She nodded before heading out of the room. As soon as they were out of the room, the two dropped their joined hands, Dante taking a slight lead as he led her to his room. He put his hands in his pockets, sighing as he threw his head back to look at the ceiling. _Ah, Nari's gonna kill me._ He thought.

 

 

Once the two were inside Dante's room, Mavis looked panicked as she said “You have to help me.” Her eyes held worry and fear, along with uneasiness. “I need to get out of this marriage. I just can't marry you...no offense, of course.” she added on as an afterthought.

 

“None taken.” he took a few seconds to actually process what she said. “EH?! You don't want to get married?!” Dante exclaimed, shock written on his face.

 

“That's right. I'm already together with someone else, and once my father found out about our relationship, he forced the marriage onto me.” Hanging her head, Mavis clenched her hands by her side in anger. “I've always gone along with what Father said, thinking it was right for me and that he was looking out for me, but this is just too far.”

 

Dante put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. His face was relaxed with relief. “I understand—I don't want this either. I'm with someone as well.”

 

This time Mavis was shocked. “Eh?! Really?!” Then, she smiled. “Thank god! I was afraid I would have to convince you to help me somehow. Since you're with someone, you don't want this either, so there's no need to convince you.” She started jumping with joy. “Yahoo! We don't have to get married~ I can see Romeo~ Life will work out~.” The blond sang.

 

The raven haired teen sweat-dropped, moving back slightly so he wouldn't get stepped on. “Um... do you even have a plan to get us out of the marriage?”

 

Mavis froze, her mouth slightly agape in an 'O' shape. “Um...you see...”

 

Dante sighed. “You don't have one, do you?”

 

The blond chuckled nervously, scratching her cheek as he gaze shifted to the side. “Ah, yeah....I don't.”

 

“Well,” Dante began, “why don't we just tell your father? I'm sure he'll—”

 

“NO!” She exclaimed, panic washing over her face. “I mean... he's super adamant about this, and I don't think he'll back down so easily, so we might need something more... foolproof.” Mavis started to twirl a lock of hair around her index finger.

 

“Hm...” Dante tapped his finger to his chin in deep thought. “How about I get my friends to help? Nari and Sadako are really good at coming up with plans together, so they should be able to think of something.” He suggested with a smile. _And I'm sure Nari would love to stop this marriage._

 

* * *

 

 

After running away from Sadako, Ienari headed to the gardens to clear his head. So many things were jumbled in his head, and he needed to sort them before he saw anyone else or he might blow a fuse. The gardens always had a calming effect on him, making him feel at peace even at the most stressful times, and this is definitely one of those times. Walking along the stone path, he came across a small path that led to a large cherry tree.

 

Once at the base of the tree, he sat down and started to think. He didn't notice the person in the tree until he heard the leaves rustle. Looking up, he saw long silver hair. “Aiko?” he questioned as he stood up.

 

Said teen tensed slightly, not realizing that there was someone at the base of the tree, and looked down. “Ienari.” she nodded in acknowledgment, closing her book and sitting up from her lounging position. “Did Madoka send you to find me?”

 

The orangenette shook his head. “I came out here to sort out my thoughts, but I can leave.”

 

Aiko stood up on the large tree branch and jumped down to the ground, dusting off her sweater and cargo pants. “It's fine.” She gave him a small, knowing smile. “You can talk to me, you know. I won't judge.”

 

Ienari smiled back gratefully. “Thanks. I think... I would like that.” he sat down, his back against the tree as he pulled up his knees. Aiko sat down next to him, her legs crossed and her back against the trunk as well.

 

“Is this about Mr. Vermillion and his daughter?” the silverette asked, surprising Ienari by how accurate she was. _How did she even know?!_ He thought while Aiko continued. “Madoka was going on and on about how they're coming over to talk with Dante and Tsuna before she had to leave to escort them.”

 

“Oh, is that so.” Ienari mumbled, but Aiko heard him.

 

Turning to look at him, Aiko put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, I'm sure it'll all work out. Dante isn't going to leave you.”

 

Now Ienari was really shocked. “Wha- Wha- What d-do you mean?! How did you....?” he stuttered, his face flushed as he looked at Aiko, whose smile got a little wider.

 

“I'm the Rain, after all. I have to know about my friends in order to help them, you know?” she then chuckled slightly. “Besides, if you look close enough, you can see the love between you two. It's just that most people don't look for it, so they don't see it.”

 

“Ah...” Ienari gave a weak smile. “I see...”

 

Suddenly, Ienari's phone started to go off, music filling the air. He fished for his phone in his pocket, giving an apologetic glace at Aiko before standing up and walking a bit from the tree. “Dante?”

 

_“Hey Nari.”_

 

Ienari smiled. “So, did you turn down the marriage?” He asked enthusiastically.

 

“ _Well,”_ He noticed the hesitance in his boyfriend's voice. _“About that—”_

“What happened?!”

_“Mavis's father is really adamant about this, but neither of us wants to go through with the marriage. We need a plan around this, so I need you to get Sadako and come to my room so we can think of a plan.”_

“Okay, I'll get her now. Love you.”

 

“ _Love you, too.”_ **_Click._**

 

Ienari looked back at Aiko, who gave him a thumbs up, before running back to the mansion. Aiko watched him round the corner, before sighing and leaning her back on the tree. “Love's so difficult.” She shook her head before opening her book and resuming reading.

 

* * *

 

 

Ienari flipped open his phone, scrolling through the contacts to find Sadako's number. Once he found it, he began to call her. After a few rings, she picked up. _“Ienari-kun! Are you okay? You ran away suddenly and I wanted to make sure you were fine.”_

 

Ienari chuckled slightly, slowing down to a light jog as he made his way around the mansion. “Yeah, and sorry about that. I'll tell you about it later. Right now, though, I need you to meet me in front of Dante's room.”

 

_“Hm? Why?”_

 

“Dante needs help getting out of his marriage, and we're going to come up with a plan. You know how scary we can be when it comes to plans.”

 

_“Oh, yes, I know. So do I need to bring anything?”_

 

“Just come. See ya.”

 

_“Okay.” **Click.**_

 

Ienari sighed and put his phone back in his pocket, turning around the corner and continuing down the hallway. His mind started to wander, thinking of a few ideas to try to get the two out of this arranged marriage. _I'm going to need more information, though, like what exactly I'm dealing with,_ he thought, slowing his pace to a walk as he got closer to Dante's room. As he was about to open the door, it opened, revealing someone he had never seen.

 

It was a girl, a little bit older than him, with very wavy blonde hair that came to her waist, along with emerald green eyes. She was wearing a strapless lavender shirt with attached sleeves that went to her wrists. Her loose, flowing black skirt went a little past her ankles, showing her black flats. There was a necklace around her neck, the crimson gem in the shape of a mix between a bird and a fairy. Ienari noticed she was wearing a pair of matching earrings.

 

“Ah! You must be Nari, right?” She asked enthusiastically. “I'm Mavis Vermillion, nice to meet you.” Flashing a grin, she stepped aside and allowed Ienari to walk in. “Where's the girl, Sadako?”

 

The orangenette walked over to Dante, taking a seat next to him on the bed. “She should be here soon. I told her to come here.” He turned to look at his boyfriend, the two intertwining their fingers out of view. “Hey.”

 

Dante smiled. “Hey Nari.” The raven haired teen then looked over at Mavis, who was still standing by the door. “Do you know how long your father will talk to Tsuna-san?”

 

Shaking her head, Mavis looked back at him sadly. “I don't. It could be an hour, it could be a few minutes. That scares me.” Hearing hurried footsteps coming closer, Mavis turned back to the door and opened it.

 

Sadako was there, her signature pigtails messy as her blue eyes glanced around the room. She had changed out of her other attire, now sporting a black tee-shirt with flames decorating the hem, white skinny jeans and matching slip on shoes. “Sorry I was late. I was changing when Ienari-kun called me.” She glanced over at Mavis curiously.

 

Said teen smiled as she held out a hand. “Mavis Vermillion.”

 

Sadako took her hand and shook it. “Sadako Sawada.” The two dropped their hands, Sadako stepping into the room and looking around, a small blush on her face. She's never actually been in Dante's room, and even under the circumstances, she couldn't help but be amazed at his room.

 

After Sadako had entered the room, Mavis had shut the door, give the four of them their privacy. She stood over near the small couch while Sadako stood over near Ienari and Dante. After a few moments, Dante spoke up. “I guess I should fill you in on what's going on.” He looked over at Sadako, who nodded. “First of all, Mavis and I are supposedly in an arranged marriage.”

 

Ienari tightened his hold on Dante's hand slightly, while Sadako flinched. “I see.”

 

“Yeah. Problem is, we both have a person we like, and there is no way this would work. So...we need a plan to get out of this mess.” Dante sighed. “Any ideas?”

 

Ienari raised his free hand slightly. “Um, I have a question, Miss. Mavis—”

 

“Just Mavis is fine.” The blond interrupted with a smile.

 

The orangenette nodded before continuing. “Anyway, Mavis, I need to know why your father is so adamant about this marriage. I have a feeling that there's something more to it than he really wants this.”

 

“Well...” Leaning against the back of the love seat, Mavis looked down at her hands with a frown. “Father...He found out about my relationship with Romeo, a member of one of our enemies. He just couldn't accept that I was with the enemy, so he thought if I was married to someone from Vongola, then he would back off.” She reached for her necklace, fingering the crimson gem. “Romeo vowed that he would save me, but I haven't been able to contact him since Father found out about him.”

 

Sadako noticed that her voice started to waver towards the end, like she was trying to hold back tears. She walked over to Mavis and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing the blond to look up at her with tearful eyes. Sadako offered a smile. “Would you like to call him using my cell?”

 

Mavis looked unsure. “But, then wouldn't he have your number? His family could trace it back—”

 

“Don't worry about that. All of our cell-phones are Vongola tech, made personally by Spanner and Irie. There's no way we would be tracked, so it's fine.” Sadako smiled and reached for the orange cell-phone in her pocket.

 

Mavis took it, and with trembling fingers, she put in Romeo's number. Once hitting the talk button, she held it to her ear, waiting for him to respond.

 

The brunette stepped away from Mavis, giving her personal space to make the call. Walking over to the boys sitting on the bed, she noticed that they were sitting super close to one another, and it upset her stomach slightly. It was like it was trying to tell her something about the two, but she brushed it off, not thinking much about it. Standing near the bed post, she asked, “Have you thought of anything?”

 

The two jumped slightly, having been immersed in their own conversation before Sadako came over. They both looked at her, Dante answering her question. “That's what we were talking about. We haven't got the slightest clue.”

 

Ienari looked at the floor in deep thought, trying to come with something—anything—they could use as a baseline to come up with a plan. Once they got the ball rolling, they usually had a plan down within the next few minutes.

 

“Hm...” Sadako turned and looked out the window, watching as the clouds drifted in the clear blue sky. _What could we do...?_ She thought before an idea popped into her head. “Well, wait, what if Romeo's family wasn't Mavis's family enemy?”

 

Ienari's head popped up, his eyes wide as he looked at Sadako. “Then... Mavis's dad wouldn't feel bad about them being in a relationship!”

 

Sadako caught on and grinned enthusiastically. “And there wouldn't have to be an arranged marriage.”

 

“Oh!” Dante gasped, making the two look at him. “What if the two of them were married?”

 

The two looked at him, before looking at each other with a grin. Simultaneously, they said, “Then their families could be one!”

 

Dante looked semi-horrified as his gaze switched between Ienari and Sadako, but the grin on his face gave away his sarcasm. “It's creepy when you two do that.” The two in question giggled at his comment, playing along with the joking manner.

 

Mavis hit the **End Call** button on Sadako's phone, smiling to herself with a small blush on her face. She walked over to Sadako to return the phone and saw the smiles on their faces. “What did I miss?” she asked the three, who turned to her, their smiles widening.

 

* * *

 

 

“Really?! You think that could work?!” Mavis exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together in excitement. Both Ienari and Sadako nodded, confident their plan would work, allowing Dante to be free and Mavis to be united with her love.

 

They had filled Mavis in on the concept of their plan, and from there, they worked out how exactly they were going to execute the plan. Everyone was excited to put the plan into action for their own reasons, and they couldn't wait.

 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, causing everyone to turn to the door in curiosity. It opened, revealing Reborn.

 

“Reborn?!” The Neo Secondo teens exclaimed, completely surprised by the hitman's appearance.

 

“Chaos.” The hitman greeted with a smirk, his hands in his pants pockets. He walked inside, the door shutting on its own as he made his was over to the group. “Come up with a plan yet?”

 

Sadako and Ienari, having not known about what had transpired in the meeting room, were shocked to know that Reborn was in on them. Ienari then grinned, remembering that Reborn supported him and probably was on to them. “Yeah, we think we have a pretty good one.” He said.

 

Reborn nodded. “Good.” He then pulled down the rim of his fedora, shadowing his face from view. “I suggest you hurry. I've alerted Tsuna to some of the situation so he could try to stall time, but Vermillion is really stubborn.”

 

“Some of the...” Ienari trailed off, scared that Reborn revealed his relationship to his father.

 

Reborn, noticing this, said, “I didn't say anything about _that_. Just that Mavis was already in a relationship and Dante had found someone he liked.”

 

Ienari sighed with relief, glad that the hitman hadn't said anything. Ienari knew he had to tell his father about his relationship soon, but he was scared. He still considered himself a failure for not being able to be the next boss, and he could only imagine what his relationship would have an effect on Tsuna. He doesn't regret his relationship with Dante, not at all, it's just something hard to explain to his father.

 

Sadako looked over at Ienari curiously, wondering what that was all about. She noticed that he was acting weird throughout this whole ordeal, and something inside her was wary about it. Her hyper intuition wasn't as fully developed nor would it ever be on par with Ienari's, who's hyper intuition was greater than his fathers, but currently, it was acting up. Thinking back to earlier when she bumped into Ienari in the hallway, it went crazier.

 

 ** _Something's weird with him..._** It whispered in her head, making her gasp slightly. Her hyper intuition had never actually _spoken_ to her, and something about the voice scared her. But, it was probably awakening more, that's all. She shouldn't be worried, should she?

 

Ienari noticed Sadako's small gasp and saw her face, which was looking at the ground slightly, a horrified look on her features. He was about to speak up, but he felt a slight trace of mist flames in the area. _Mukuro?_ He wondered, but pushed away the thought. _No, it's different. It has an...eviler feel, to it._

Suddenly, it disappeared, making Ienari wonder if he imagined it. He noticed that Sadako's face relaxed, and that confirmed he didn't imagine it. _But then, what could it—_

 

“Nari, what do you—are you listening?” Dante asked, startling Ienari, who jumped. Turning to look at him, Ienari blushed in embarrassment.

 

“Ah...sorry, what?” Ienari hadn't meant to stop listening, but the small trace of mist flames had distracted him slightly.

 

Dante smiled, not having noticed Ienari's inner turmoil, and said “And you say I space out. We were saying that we're going to start the plan.”

 

“Oh...I see.” Ienari mumbled. Reborn looked over at him, noticing something was off. Usually Ienari wouldn't space out during something important like this. Something must have caught his attention, and this made the hitman curious. He would have to have a talk with the orangenette later, once this was all over.

 

* * *

 

 

“So your plan is to just waltz in there and say the two should get married in order to unite the two families in order to stop the fighting?” Reborn asked, trying to keep his voice even as he glanced to his side, his eyes on Sadako, who was next to him.

 

The five of them were walking towards the meeting room where Tsuna and Mr. Vermillion were still conversing. Reborn and Sadako were in the front of the group, with Mavis behind them. Ienari and Dante were in the back, a little bit away from the other three, but still close enough to hear them.

 

Slowing nodding, Sadako looked up at the hitman. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“Wait!” Ienari said suddenly, everyone turning to him. “We should contact Romeo's family and see if they're okay with this. We don't know how they feel about this, and if they don't agree, then there's no point in asking Mr. Vermillion.”

 

Reborn nodded in agreement, glad that one of the teens caught on to the point. He then turned to Mavis. “Do you know how to contact Romeo's father, who I am assuming is the boss?”

 

The blond nodded, and asked to borrow Sadako's phone. The brunette allowed her to use it once more, and gave her space to make the call. Mavis walked away from the group and placed the call while Sadako watched Ienari and Dante converse. She noticed they were really close to one another, just like they were in Dante's room, and it made her uncomfortable.

 

Mavis, after a few minutes, closed Sadako's phone with sparkles in her eyes. “He said yes! He's wanted the fighting to stop for a while now, and he feels this is perfect!”

 

Sadako grinned, while Ienari internally cheered and Dante and Mavis visibly cheered. Reborn sighed, knowing that this didn't mean that their problems were over. They still had to convince the very adamant Mr. Vermillion that his daughter and Romeo should be married to unite their families, and they didn't have an exact plan to do that. Still, he wouldn't burst their bubble.

 

Just kidding—he would.

 

“Don't forget about Mr. Vermillion, now. You still have to convince him, don't you?” The hitman smirked.

 

The teens froze, their faces blank as realization came to them. _We forgot_. They thought simultaneously. The teens were quick to recover though, and their poker faces returned as they neared the meeting room where Tsuna and Mr. Vermillion were.

 

 _Here we go_. Ienari thought, squeezing Dante's hand as Mavis threw open the doors.

 

 

“Please give it some thought, Mr. Vermillion. We shouldn't force these things on our children. Instead, we should wish them happiness with whatever they do.” Tsuna stated calmly, although his patience was running thin. He really was trying his best to by some time for the teens, but Mr. Vermillion was very adamant about this.

 

Reborn had told him that the teens were coming up with a plan to get out the arranged marriage, and Tsuna wanted to support them as much as possible. He really doesn't want to force them into the marriage, since Reborn told him both Mavis and Dante have someone they love and he shouldn't force something like this on them. Marriage was supposed to be a happy union between two people (ask him, he would know) and being forced into a loveless marriage was not a union. He knew he was getting to his limit, so he really hoped that the teens had something.

 

Like it was answering his prayers, the door flew open, revealing a determined Mavis standing in the doorway. Sadako was next with a frown, and Ienari and Dante were behind her, sporting blank faces. Reborn was off to the side, though his face was unreadable, and Tsuna was so glad to see them, he had to bite back a smile.

 

“Father!” The blonde called out, gaining said man's full attention. “I have a proposition for you, and think about it before you answer.” she gave him a pointed look.

 

Mr. Vermillion nodded, wondering what his daughter came up with. He knew she's been trying to find a way out of this arranged marriage for the past few days, but she was never this determined.

 

Mavis saw that his full attention was on her, so she continued. “I believe was should have an arranged marriage with the Perdente famiglia. This would end the needless fighting and bloodshed between us, and we could be united as one family.”

 

“WHAT?!?!” Mr. Vermillion exclaimed loudly, surprising everyone present. “I will not hand you over to those fools!! They are weak and useless, why should we unite with them?!”

 

“Because I love Romeo!” Mavis exclaimed just as loudly. “I love him with all my heart, and his family is not weak or useless! How could you claim that when they stand even with our forces?! Think about it, Father, we could stop the war! We could become a bigger, better, _stronger_ family if we unite!” She almost yelled, her anger boiling.

 

Mr. Vermillion was taken back at this, he has never seen his daughter this angry or passionate about something since her mother died, and he started to wonder if what he was doing was truly wrong to her. He really loved her, and he wanted the best for her, but if this was hurting her, then why was he doing this? Why was he being this selfish?

 

“I just wanted to make sure you were taken care of when I'm gone...” he whispered, tears forming in his eyes. Mavis rushed over to her father and embraced him in a hug.

 

“Please, Father. Romeo means so much to me.” She said softly as he hugged her back.

 

Dante looked over at his boyfriend, who had a small, sad smile on his face as he watched the father and daughter in the middle of the room. He squeezed the orangenette's hand, which caused the shorter male to look up at him. The raven smiled encouragingly, and Ienari returned it, leaning into Dante's side slightly.

 

Ienari watched as Mavis and Mr. Vermillion continued to hug as they started talking about their plans for the future, and how the marriage with the Perdente famiglia would go. After a few moments, they moved over to one of the small couches to talk, and Tsuna stood up and walked over to the others next to the doorway.

 

“How about we give them some time to work this out?” Tsuna smiled at the teens, his gaze catching how close Ienari and Dante were. He knew since the Inheritance Ceremony, they were usually found close to one another, but he wondered why. Yes, they were best friends, and Dante is very special to him, but surely they needed their own space, right?

 

He pushed the thought to the side, knowing he could trust his son and Dante, before ushering everyone out of the way and closing the door, giving the two inside privacy to talk. His gaze met Reborn's knowing look, and he realized that he was missing something. _But what?_ He pondered.

 

Sadako turned around, ready to return to her room, when she also caught Ienari and Dante's closeness. It made something inside her twist again, but she ignored it as she faced everyone. “I'm heading back to my room. See you at dinner, Tsuna-san, Reborn-san, Ienari-kun, and Dante.” She bowed slightly before turning on her heel and walking down the hall away from everyone.

 

Reborn looked over at the couple and sighed. He could understand where the two were coming from, but he really believed that Ienari should tell his father. He could tell that Ienari was conflicted about telling him, but he should trust in Tsuna more. He's a great father that's a loving, accepting sky, and he wouldn't judge. Sure, he might be surprised, as was he, but he would accept and understand.

 

But it wasn't his place to tell. _But..._ He thought with a smirk. _Baka-Nari said nothing about dropping hints._

 

Tsuna looked at the other three and gave a small smile. “I'm heading back to my office.” He then looked over at Reborn. “I need to talk to you.” He said seriously, which surprised the teens slightly, noticing how serious the man's voice sounded.

 

The hitman caught it as well and nodded, following behind the brunette as they made their way down the hallway, leaving the two teens in the hallway.

 

The orangenette looked up at his boyfriend, who was grinning back down at him. “Want to go out? We still have some time before curfew.” Dante said as the two started walking down the opposite hallway from the adults.

 

Ienari beamed as he said, “Yeah!” enthusiastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Proud is now officially completed! I'm so excited because now I can work on the series. I have so many ideas, and I can't wait to get started on them~~ My best friend has been bugging me about the series forever and so I need to do it justice. 
> 
> Was the Danari fluffy? I thought it was, but then again, I'm the writer, so I think my opinion is biased :P
> 
> Was Madoka's appearance a surprise? How about Aiko's and the fact she knew about Danari? 
> 
> Anyway, tell me what you think please! I would like feedback so I know what I'm doing right and wrong. Please... I beg of you... I'll give you a cookie?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Well, here is part one of Proud. I hope it was okay, and I'm sorry if the first part was kind of repetitive. I wanted to write Tsuna's take on what had happened in Let Down. The next bit will be from Ienari and Dante, and what they plan to do about the arrangement. (Kufufufu~)
> 
> Shout out to HannakoKagamine for the marriage idea. Thanks for the help and ideas, as well as support. 
> 
> The official pairing name for DanteXIenari is Danari, so whenever I use that term, it means that I'm talking about their fluffiness. (For those who didn't know)
> 
> So...tell me what you think. Was the Tsuna part okay? Did the story make sense? To fast/to slow? What about the Danari moment? Reviews are awesome. Criticism is welcomed. Flames are not.


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